The communication system is a facility that enables communication between two more entities such as user terminal equipment and/or network entities and other nodes associated with the communication system. The communication may comprise, for example, a communication of voice, electronic mail (email), text messages, data, multimedia and so on.
A communication may be provided by a fixed line and/or wireless communication interfaces. A feature of wireless communication system is that they provide mobility for the users thereof. An example of communication systems providing wireless communication is a public land mobile network (PLMN). An example of the fixed line system is a public switched telephone network (PSTN).
The communication system typically operates in accordance with a given standard or specification which sets out what the various elements of a system are permitted to do and how that should be achieved. For example, the standard or specification may define if the user or more precisely user equipment is provided with a circuit switched server or a packet switched server or both. Communication protocols and/or parameters, which should be used for the connection, are also typically defined. For example, the manner in which communication is implemented between the user equipment and the elements of the communication network is typically based on a predefined communication protocol. In other words, a specific set of rules on which the communication can be based needs to be defined to enable the user equipment to communicate via the communication system.
The 3G partnership project (3GPP) is defining a reference architecture for the universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) core network which will provide the users of user equipment with access to services. The term “service” used in this document should be understood to broadly cover any services or goods which a user may desire, require or be provided with. The term is to be understood to cover the provision of complementary services. In particular, but not exclusively, the term “service” will be understood to include internet protocol multimedia IM services, conferencing, telephoning, gaming, rich call, presence, e-commerce, messaging and instant messaging.
Reference will be made to the 3GPP technical specification TS24.234 and TS23.234, both documents, which are hereby incorporated by reference. Both of these documents relate to WLAN (wireless local area network) inter working. WLAN inter working is inter working between a proposed 3GPP system and the WLAN family of standards. Examples of WLAN radio network type technology include Bluetooth, the IEEE standards 802.11B, 802.11G, 802.11A and HIPERLan-2. The wireless local area network inter working allows a WLAN UE (user equipment) to connect to a WLAN and from there to either a visited PLMN or the home HPLMN. The PLMNs are 3G communication systems. A WLAN UE is all the user equipment, which can be used to allow a 3GPP subscriber to access the WLAN inter working. This may include, for example a computer. It should be appreciated that the WLAN UE may be capable of WLAN access only or may be capable of WLAN and 3GPP system access. A WLAN UE is only one example of a client.
In the proposed specification, the network selection procedure consists of two parts. The first part is radio selection. This is the first phase of network selection and always takes place before VPLMN (visited PLMN) selection. In this phase the WLAN UE selects an access point AP and associates itself with it. The parameter used for the selection of the access point is the SSID (service set ID). In the second part, the VPLMN is selected. After selecting an access point, that is after completion of the radio selection, the WLAN UE may need to select a PLMN through which to authenticate, if more than one is available behind the chosen WLAN. This is called VPLMN selection in the WLAN inter working.
IEEE specifications such as 802.11 currently have two alternatives for probing. In one of these alternatives, a WLAN client (for example a WLAN UE) is able to probe for a particular SSID. In the other of the alternatives, broadcast is used where all the SSIDs supported by WLAN access node are probed.
However, the inventor has appreciated that the known probing arrangements are not particularly flexible and do not, for example permit a certain type of SSIDs to be probed.